Cemetery director Arleen Ocasio had told the pastor to ensure that his talk was appropriate for all faiths: “inclusive of all beliefs,” “general” and “non-denominational.”

Not only does the pastor have a good right to sue, he ought to also be offended. People of other faiths who hear his talk ought to be mature enough to play Mad Libs with it.

Flickr (creative commons)/Jason Gouger.

If someone listening to the pastor’s reference to Jesus is a practicing Muslim, she or he ought to be able to substitute “Allah” in her or his head. Others, depending upon their faith, can meditate on the words Hashem, God, Vishnu, Bahá’u’lláh, Jehova or a variety of other names.

Would a non-Christian be justified in longing, upon hearing the pastor’s prayer, to hear from a religious leader from her or his faith group? Of course. Perhaps there should be a round-robin rotation.

But in this instance, ambiguity is being promoted under the guise of being inclusive. When he delivers his talk, the pastor doesn’t mean “God” or “whatever higher power you happen to hold dear” or “fate.” He means “Jesus,” and shame on anyone who tries to make him say something else.

I don’t blame the Department of Veterans Affairs for playing it safe — one should expect no less from a government institution, whose job it is, in part, to be cautious — but it is concerning that the religious landscape is so dysfunctional that it feels it has to sanitize the pastor’s remarks.